The High Court gives the go-ahead for a dual-carriageway to be built through the Glen of the Downs in Wicklow.
Eco warriors had been protesting for the last two years at the cutting down of trees to allow for the road to be widened. They had set up a camp at the site in 1997, with some of them living in tree houses.
The High Court found that public access to the nature reserve would not be threatened by the development, though it agreed with the protesters that the land should not have been bought by compulsory purchase.
While there is a sense of disappointment at the protest camp the eco warriors are claiming victory and say they will not be leaving the Glen of the Downs.
Local businesswoman Georgina Byrne welcomes the ruling, saying that the road is needed and that the majority of the protestors are from different countries and it is no concern of theirs.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 19 March 1999. The reporters are Carole Coleman and Flor McCarthy.
Carole Coleman outside the Four Courts, Dublin
